


Cowboys and Aliens

by VyeLoyomBrightwarrior



Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Alien Horses, Fire, cowboy, escaping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-03-29 14:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3900391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VyeLoyomBrightwarrior/pseuds/VyeLoyomBrightwarrior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rush and Young get caught by aliens on a planet. Things start looking quite a bit like the Wild West.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Escape

He doesn’t know what to make of it when he wakes up before Young. Either the aliens gave the colonel a higher dose of whatever chemical they used to knock them out or Rush is more resistant to it than the colonel. He’ll have to try and get some of the substance so TJ can study it. Though that’s not his first priority. He rolls onto his side so he can see Young, bound like he is with his hands behind his back and legs secured together. At the present there are no aliens in sight and they are still outdoors. That means now is a perfect time to try to escape. Though escaping may not be the best plan. Maybe they can try to communicate with the aliens. 

He twists again to get a better view of the area and starts in surprise and horror when he sees the bones of creatures that originate from this planet. No, escape is definitely the best option. He forces himself to sit as he looks around and thus sees his backpack laying right next to him. A quick look in Young’s direction shows that the man’s gear is lying by him as well. He wonders if the aliens think they’ll be able to eat the backpacks too. Regardless it means he has access to the kino remote in his own bag and, more importantly at the present moment, the knife in Young’s.

He starts to move when he hears a distressed animal noise. He lays back down quickly, shutting his eyes. He doesn’t have enough time to lay on his stomach instead of his back like he was before, but hopefully they won’t notice. Though it may not matter either way. The animal noises get louder and louder and he risks a quick look. He sees a horse like creature bound by its legs and obviously terrified. The aliens left it here and now Rush is just elated. He sits up, studying the thing that is almost twice as big as a normal earth horse and has blueish-green scales instead of hair. It will be a big help in an escape attempt if Rush can control it. At the very least it will cause a great distraction for the aliens when it escapes.

He ignores it for the moment though, scooting awkwardly closer to Young and the man’s bag. Rush is so glad he’s an observant person because he already knows which outer pocket Young keeps the knife in. Eli would probably say that Rush was creepy for knowing where certain items that specific people had were in their packs, but Rush just thinks it’s smart. He feels around with his hands behind him until he locates the proper pocket. He gets it open and manages to pull the knife out without much trouble. And just like that he’s free.

He frowns then, trying to decide what to do next. The horse has calmed now and is watching him quietly, almost pleadingly. He wants to untie the horse but he doesn’t want it to just run off the second he does. Even if it won’t let him ride it, if it runs off before he’s ready that won’t be good. There is only so much he can do about that though. He goes over to his own bag and pulls out the kino remote, tucking it in his belt. The only things he absolutely has to escape with are the remote and Young. 

He moves over to the colonel then, bending next to him. He almost unties the man before thinking it though. Honestly the man will be easier to carry tied up, especially if Rush manages to control the horse thing. So instead of untying the man Rush pockets the knife, swinging Young up over his shoulder. He rises shakily to his feet, cursing when he almost falls over. In the end he isn’t sure how he moved Young the few feet it took to get him over to where Rush wanted to move him. Escaping like that was going to be impossible. He sighed, sitting back on the ground, well aware of the horse watching him. Waiting until Young wakes up seems like the only option.

The horse suddenly pricks his ears like a real horse would before looking in the direction the aliens came from when they brought the horse here. It looks like he doesn’t have time to wait for Young to wake. He moves back to the bags at a run, grabbing them and running back to the horse even as he pulls out rope from his bag. “Good boy,” he soothes the nervous animal as he quickly ties part of the rope around the beast’s neck, cutting it before tying it to a nearby sturdy looking plant. “Please cooperate,” he begs. And then there is nothing for it but to cut the beast’s legs free. 

It stands instantly but doesn’t strain against the rope. It seems to think that won’t too much good. Rush doesn’t know enough about the creature to know if it would or not, but he has a feeling the thing could get away if it tried. He doesn’t argue with good fortune though, instead hoisting Young again and quickly tying the man to the back of the beast, having to jump a few times to get it done. The bags follow suit and that is when the aliens come into the clearing. They freeze, staring at what must be an odd sight for them. Rush moves instantly, cutting the horse free of the plant. 

The thing is off in an instant and Rush is very glad he didn’t just leave the bags. It’s the only thing he manages to grab ahold of as the horse sprints off. The thing is tall enough that his boots only just drag on the ground which is both a blessing and a curse. Nothing gets hurt that way but he also can’t push off the ground with his feet. Instead he has to use his upper body strength, which is already compromised from carrying Young, to pull himself onto the beast’s back.

He eventually manages it thanks to adrenaline and he looks over Young and the bags. Everything was tied hastily but it seems he managed to make everything secure enough. So now he just has to control the careening horse who doesn’t even have a mane and try to steer it in the direction he thinks the gate could possibly be in. Maybe he should have thought through this plan a bit more. Too late for that now.

He looks forward and sighs a bit. He’s going to have to climb over Young and the bags, one of which he is currently clinging to, to get to the horses head. Even if he gets there, there is no guarantee that he will be able to control the thing. Why does Young have to be unconscious? He’d be so much better at the physical activity than Rush. No, that doesn’t matter right now and he isn’t going to think about things that aren’t the way he wants them. He is going to make do with what he’s got and try to steer this odd beast.  
He begins crawling forward, using the bags to hold onto. Then he grabs Young’s torso, using that to keep his secure as he inches forward. And of course that has to be when Young wakes up. “What the hell is going on?” he asks almost instantly. Rush really can’t blame him. He’s tied to a moving scaly creature and can only really see the ground speeding by. No wonder that man is startled.

“We’re escaping,” he informs Young, moving so he’s sort of kneeling on their bags. Then he starts to reach for the knife, ready to cut Young free. But that’s when he sees the wall of wood before them and the aliens there are… oh no. “I’ll cut you free in a minute,” he says, forgetting the knife as he starts to move forward again.

“What are you doing?” Young asks as he twists, trying to see what Rush is doing no doubt. Only his moving almost throws Rush off the creature and he has to grab Young’s arm to stay balanced. The problem is that Young’s arms are still tied together behind his back. The colonel cries out in pain and Rush moves his hold as quickly as possible.

“Stay still,” he commands. He offers no further explanation as he crawls over the colonel who surprisingly actually listens for once. 

“This better be a crisis situation,” Young growls at him after Rush knees him not so gently in the small of his back. Rush risks a glace forward to see the aliens have stopped pouring the liquid that he thinks must be some sort of oil on the wood. And now one is coming up with a torch.

“It is,” he promises, now clutching the beast’s neck finally. And that’s when it strikes him that he’s like a cowboy. He’s riding a horse, trying to escape hostile natives as he careens toward what is about to be a burning barrier. He doesn’t spare time to think on what that would make Young, instead straddling the horse’s neck and reaching up toward the only things he can think to use for steering; the horses ears. He’s not a moment too soon for just then the barrier springs to life with fire. The horse whinnies, or more like does the closest scaly alien equivalent. It tries to turn but Rush yanks on its ears, keeping it headed forward. He remembers the upcoming area and so to get back to the gate they have to jump the barrier.

“Rush?” Young asks, apparently worried by the sounds the horse is making. 

“Shut up,” he bites back. It’s probably not the most reassuring thing in the world but Young obliges yet again, no doubt due to Rush telling him it was a crisis situation. So then Rush is free to concentrate completely on steering the horse and keeping it headed toward the barrier. He really hopes it can jump as high as he’s calculated in his head because if it can’t… well if it can’t they’ll probably literally become toast for the aliens to eat. 

The horse protests more as they get closer but Rush doesn’t let up. “Is that fire?” Young asks suddenly. Apparently he’s managed to twist so that he can see what’s going on. Rush ignores the question since it’s stupid anyways and instead nudges the horse with his knees. Either it gets the hint or its instincts kick in at around the same time Rush gives it the signal because then they’re flying through the air. He knows instantly that they are going to make it and an exuberant relief educed laugh makes its way out as they sail over the burning barrier. 

He should have expected the landing to be rough. He should have known the horse’s ears didn’t make good handholds. He should have taken measures to prevent himself from slipping off the beast once it hit the ground hard but he’d just been so excited at living a childhood fantasy that he hadn’t been thinking. And now he finds himself in the dirt as the creature escapes with Young. This isn’t good. He rises to his feet, ignoring his new scrapes and bruises as he pulls out the knife, turning to face the angry aliens who are now approaching him. He’ll be lucky if Young somehow survives all this, let alone himself. Still, he takes a stance, ready to fight the aliens charging him.

 

To Be Continued…


	2. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rush prepares to fight for his life while Young frees himself and turns the horse creature around to try and find the scientist. When he runs into Scott and discovers that Eli, Chloe, and Greer are missing as well, he's about had it with these aliens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait you guys. Writers block and busy life, you know. For those of you still reading, or just starting, I hope you enjoy!

Young squirms in his bonds, trying to get free. Rush was back their alone, facing who knows how many aliens on his own. Everett twists his body uncomfortably but finally manages to move his hands to where his knife should be. It isn’t there. “Damn it Rush,” he mutters as he realizes that Rush must have used that knife to cut himself free. He must still have it. At least Rush has a weapon to try and fight the aliens with. Still, Young has nothing to cut himself free with.

No wait. That wasn’t true. Rush had been collecting mineral samples earlier, some of which had been rocks. None of the rocks would be as sharp as a knife, but they should work eventually. He squirms some more as the creature starts to slow down, obviously feeling comfortable with the distance it put between itself and the aliens. That means Young is pretty far away from Rush now. It also means it’s easier to move into position and clumsily open his head scientist’s pack.

He feels around inside with difficulty. His hands being tied behind his back isn’t conducive to finding things. Luckily the samples were in small bags close to the top. He manages to open one with a pretty sharp feeling rock, and soon sets to work as his bonds. As he cuts he comes up with a plan. He has to get back to Rush as soon as possible. He saw how Rush had steered this thing. He’ll grab his gun out of his bag and then start to ride back towards Rush. He just hopes he won’t be too late.

* * *

 

Rush grips the knife tightly, getting ready to stab it into the gut of the alien who gets to him first. There is no way he’s going to win this fight, but he’s not about to give up. He’s going to take down as many of his enemies as he can. Only they stop charging then, forming a circle around him. They stand staring at him and he stares back defiantly. He doesn’t know what they waiting for but it’s obvious they are waiting for something.

One steps forward slightly, almost timidly. It reaches out a hand ever so carefully as it comes closer. Rush isn’t sure he’s comfortable with this, but as he glances around at the others he realizes backing away isn’t a solution. His hesitance about all of this is already making them uneasy. He shouldn’t provoke that any further. So instead he steps forward a pace toward the one approaching him, keeping his fist clenched tightly around the knife. He decided to see where this is going to go, but that doesn’t mean he still isn’t weary of it all. One wrong move and he’ll stab the alien without a second thought.

It seems heartened by his forward motion and moves a bit quicker. Rush doesn’t like the increased speed but he takes another two steps forward until he and the alien are right in front of each other. It moves its outstretched arm slowly for his head. Rush doesn’t think this is a good idea but he doesn’t exactly have many options. He lets the scaly hand come to rest on the top of his head. A second later the knife slips from his hand and thuds to the ground.

* * *

 

He rides through the brush, ignoring slapping branches that claw at his arms and face. He has to get back to Rush. Finally he comes out in the clearing where the barrier was, only to find nothing. The aliens are gone. He turns around and grabs a bit of rope out of one of the bags, tying it securely to the creatures neck before sliding off its back. It’s really tall and Young finds himself impressed that Rush managed to get Young and the bags tied to the creature. That must have taken a lot of work.

He walks over to the area where Rush fell off and sees the footprints there in the dust. It’s not actually that hard to follow. He traces the tracks the aliens made with his eyes. There was a large group of them. The worrying thing though is he can only see a few boot prints. Then they disappear. Rush didn’t leave this area under his own power. He was carried. At least Young doesn’t see any blood. That’s a good sign.

“Colonel!” He turns sharply to see Scott and some men coming forward. Some luck at last. “We were trying to radio you sir,” he states as he comes up. “People are disappearing.” People? That sounds like more than just him and Rush. “I tried contacting you on the radio a bit ago but…”

“I was unconscious,” Young interrupts. He silently curses himself. He should have thought to radio Scott and the others. He’d been so preoccupied with saving Rush that he’d forgotten. He shouldn’t let that sort of thing happen. “Who else is missing Lieutenant?”

“Chloe, Eli, Rush, and Greer,” Scott tells him. “I sent all non-essential personnel back to the ship. There are only search parties down here now.”

“Good,” Young says with a nod of approval. It’s exactly what he would have done. “Rush was here,” he states then, pointing at the boot marks. “If we follow this trail we should find him, and hopefully the others as well.” He walks back to the horse like creature he’d woken up on, he really is going to have to ask Rush about that. He freezes on his way. He sees the glint of a knife and picks it up. It’s his. He pockets it before hoisting himself up onto the horse like thing. “I’m going on ahead. We don’t know what these aliens could be doing to the others. Follow behind. I’ll radio you if I need to tell you anything.”

“Yes sir,” Scott agrees. Young turns the horses head in the right direction before nudging it with his heals. It starts off at a trot but Young soon eggs it faster. He’s off, riding as fast as he can in the direction of his missing crew. He fingers the knife in his pocket, fire growing in his eyes. He’s going to rescue them all, if it’s the last thing he does.

* * *

 

Greer cuts him free and Eli rubs his wrists instantly. Those aliens had tied him tight. Chloe hands Eli and Greer their bags and both put them on quickly. “Alright,” Greer says as he surveys the immediate area. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to take the lead, and you two are going to follow behind me. Make sure no one is following us.” All in all that sounds like the best plan they have. Eli nods to show his understanding but Chloe is staring off in the distance.

“Greer?” she questions.

“That’s not good,” Eli says as he sees the advancing hoard of aliens.

“They’re faster than us,” Greer says before getting his gun ready. “Run.” Greer steps forward then, obviously ready to take on the aliens on his own. Eli turns, about to do as ordered. After all, he and Chloe won’t make much of a difference in a fight.

“Not sure that’s a good idea,” he says when he sees the aliens approaching from that direction as well. Greer turns and curses when he sees the situation they are now in. Eli doesn’t know how many bullets Greer has with him, but he knows that the solider doesn’t have enough to kill all of these aliens. “Maybe we could try to communicate?” he suggests.

“Does it look like they want to communicate?” Greer asks incredulously. Well now that he mentions it, they don’t exactly look like they are coming here for a friendly chat. The whole being captured and tied up thing doesn’t help that case either. Still…

“Does it look like you can beat them?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.” Seriously, that guy is insanely brave. Eli thinks he’d make a perfect Klingon. He drops his bag to the ground, pulling out a knife, the only weapon he has. If Greer is going to act like a Klingon, he is too. He’s not just going to be slaughtered like some noob in a video game. He is going to go down fighting.

“It’s a good day to die,” he says in his best Worf impression. Greer and Chloe both look over blankly at him. “Oh come on,” he says in exasperation. “Star Trek Next  
Gen. Worf?” They glance at each other in confusion. “Come on Greer! You practically are him!”

“Trust Eli not to let us die without a Sci-Fi reference,” Chloe states with a small smile in his direction before pulling out a knife of her own.

“If we make it out of this and ever get back to Earth, I am making all of you watch all of the great movies and tv shows you somehow managed to get through life without seeing.” Chloe is laughing good-naturedly now and Eli knows Greer would deny it, but the man is smiling faintly. They may be about to be killed and probably eaten, but at least he managed to cheer them up a bit before their inevitable deaths.

Only then the aliens do something unexpected. They stop, forming a circle around the three of them. “What is going on?” Greer mutters, obviously uneasy with this.

“Maybe they have some sort of killing ritual?” Chloe suggests.

“Or maybe we should go back to the idea of trying to communicate,” Eli states. Just then four beings come forward, carrying a litter. “See, maybe the leader wants to talk,” Eli suggests, lowering his voice to a whisper. Greer snorts.

“Yeah, or maybe they’ve just brought out their best killer.” Really there’s no way to know for sure until they see. So all three watch with batted breath as the carriers scurry back to the safety of the larger group. Whether they want to be safe from the humans or whatever is inside of the covered litter is anyone’s guess, but Eli is starting to get a bad feeling about whoever is in there. He can feel the dread mounting as the cover is slowly moved aside by the being. It’s like a movie, raising the suspense by making the reveal as long as possible. Eli loves movies, but he hates the affect in real life.

The curtain slowly draws to the side and the three humans can only stare as one foot thuds onto the top stair. The being slowly comes down to ground level and Greer lowers his gun almost as though he’s in a trance. Eli can honestly say, out of all the things he’d considered, he never would have thought of this.


End file.
